Noiseless chain



Sept. 7 1926.

1,598,906 R. w DULL k NoIsELEss CHAIN Filed March 20; 1924 Y l Z :B l indium :inw In In n f. FL' f1 j lill-lm illl--IV//A "Im/ma? )Egmond WuZZ. @7 L wm Patented Sept. 7, 1926.v

PATE-NT OFFICE,

BAYMONDJW. DULLQFLIHICAIGD, `ILLINors;nssarerri)1? ro 'LINK-BELT COMPANY, 0F

CHICAGO, ,ILLiNoIa-'Asconnona/rlon on ILLINQIs,

mistress cnam Application niet March 2o, 1924. `serial No. 700,453.

the relativelyineving parts." Another object Y -is toy dispense' Withfthe' necessity of using. n bushings Vto join the laterally .aligned linkv parts;r Another objject iste provide'a lighter, ,and therefore smoother running chain 1n fwhich .a `maxirhum strength is obtained.v with a minimumKY `Weight. Another' "object fis to provide a` chain y in which `the individual link elements 'ma be Aformed fof thinl stock.

:` VOther.objects Wil 'appear fromtiineto-time in the vcornisaofthe specification andlclaims.

I illustrate lnyinvention lmore or less diagraminatically fin' the accompanying vdraw-- `chain,with partsucutavvayg' if Figure Zie 1a side velevation with parts brokelllaway V4Figure 3'is a sidefview. loffan 'individual .ilinklsectiong v ,4 l

\ Figureftisa section jon the line 4 4 of F igure .31; i

v. Eigure is afperspective of the 'transverse l aligning ,and l e`aring y pin. and Washer. Like parts yaneillustrated by like characy ters `,throughout,the yspecification .and drawuws O Y kglhe chain is made up of a plurality-of link sections.suchastheeneshown in Figure ,3Q-Compri U' lafbldy Portion ,A ,having the ,Circular ap Izture' .A1 at Quendend a deffolmedapei" 112e .Atin the other 22nd, C0111- 4prising, orpexample, an -arcuate portionjin.- :teiirfuntd by the .inwardly `'proies.ting angles A3.. ,The ,Central .partiell A.the .link iS rel ducedas at AA4- in contrast to Athe downwardly Sdepending end .portiens ,A5, jAjvhich terminate in the teeth A6. Surroundin fcular aperture ,A1 is the Circular 'lange A7 i :desenbed and apparel-111911 llink ,element B i ap ertures A2 Figurel planview of aportion of Athe y'type of V projecting portion' 1111 Oi theL V.cir-

llleieetngloiltairardly frein alle side .0.f .the

Ais reversed so that when link .elements A and are placed with their plane sides in oppositioin'their circular and deformed apertures are aligned and the circular fianges project at opposite .sides from the link section 'formed 'by the adjacent pair of link elements.

"hfe'chain Vis formed lay-joining` p airsof link membersgside by side fin the above described ,fashion and passing through the deformed a bearingpincomprising, for example, a portion *C having a semi-cylindrical bearing suriface andthe reduced portion' C2- .projecting from the vfiat plane surface C1 and Kterminating in a Abearingsurface C3. concentric with the bearing surface of the/pertion C. The piu C being yshaped to conform to the deformed aperture A2, will not'rot'a'te inrelation to such` oit the link elementsas it penetrates through such aperauae.; l 'f5 lfheflink elements areso arranged on the pins `that each o'ff such pinspasses alter- 'nately throughfthe deformedapertures yof pnepair .of link members and the circular flangedapertures of the next, as shownin Figure 1.- i i the flange links, which serve to keep the chain from'slippinglaterally, I mayuse a link element identical with the element A,

f ivitlr theV teeth A64 cut down. -By reversing` *55 it to place it in the position shown at D in VvIigures l and 2, I may employ vits plane or upper edge as the flange. Regardless Aof the fangelin'k.Ifemploy, and-I do not k limit myself to the one above described, I p referto stagger the flange "links as shown `in Figure 1, having one flange link connecting "each, adjacent pair of bearing pins, the connection between `the successive pins alterlnating- 1from side to side of the c hain. LUpon M95 the bearing pinsl Jmay fasten the chain in V,anysuitable' manneiybut'l illustrate herein "a Washer E adapted to receive the upwardly y of the pin and to rest upon the. end of thedeformed portion C2. 1-00 ,"llhe end Elfinay thenbe upset, to secure the links on the pin. p

',Itvvill be 'realized that Whilel have illustrateda Working device, many changes may 'b emardein vthe size, shape, proportion and105 relation and dispositionofparts Without departing from the spirit of my invention, :and 1,.,do not Wish to'be limited tothe specific form and :arrangement herein shown Eand described..

The use and operation of my invention are as follows:

lhen chain of the type herein described is used, the terminal flange links prevent the chain from slipping laterally from the sprockets or other members about which its passes, the sprocket teeth penetrating between the pointed teeth of the inner link sections.

The chain is particularly simple to manufacture, since it may be manufactured with but two forms of link members, and those may be blanked out of the same stock.

No bushing or any other similar bearing member need be used, since the wear of the link sections on the pins is reduced by increasing the bearing area. The round aperture which rotates about the bearing pin is reinforced by the flange A7 which not only provides a relatively extended bearing area, but serves as a positive reinforcement of the link body. It is therefore possible to use thin stock; by diminishing the thickness of the stock, and increasing the height of the flange, the actual weight of metal in a given width of chain is reduced to a minimum. The end of the link element penetrated by the deformed aperture, since it does not rotate in relation to the pin passing through it, may be left thin and unreinforced.

lhereas I have illustrated a link memberA which consists merely of a thin blank with a reinforcing` flange about the aperture at one end, I might of course employ a link member increasing in thickness progressively or abruptly from one end to the other, in such :fashion that the bearing or rotating` end of the link is strengthened in'relation to the end of the link which does not rotate about the pin.

By employing highly resistant material, such as chrome nickel, I can employ a very light stock, and produce a very light and smooth running chain.

lVhile it is preferable to flange but one side of each link blank, I do not limit myself to that type.

I claim:

l. In a laminal chain, a plurality of flat, one-piece laminae apertured at each end, securing pins passing through each end of each lamina and directly contacting the lamin through which they pass, each lamina being in rotational bearing contact with the pin penetrating one end, and being held against rotation in relation to the pin passing through its other end, the aperture of that end only of each lamina which is in rotational bearing contact with the pin being reinforced, producing an increased bearing surface.

2. In a laminal chain, a plurality of flat, one-piece lamin apertured at each end, securing pins passing through each end of each lamina and directly contacting the laminae through which they pass, each lamina being in rotational bearing contact with the pin penetrating one end, and being held against rotation in relation to the pin passing through its other end, the aperture of that Yend only of each lamina which is in rotational bearing contact with the pin being provided with a cylindrical bearing surface of greater length than the normal thickness of the lamina.

3. A sprocket chain comprising a plurality of flat, laminal link elements, apertured at each end, securing pins passing through each end of each lamina and directly contacting the laminae through which they pass, each lamina being adapted to rotate in relation to the pin penetrating one end, and being held against rotation in relation to the pin penetrating the other end, a

reinforcing flange surrounding the aperture of the rotating end, said laminae being arranged back to back with the flange of each lamina projecting outwardly, such pairs of laminae being arranged along the securing pins, the nnanged ends of one pair being ""f positioned between the flanged ends of the adjacent pairs.

l. A cha-in comprising a plurality of transverse bearing pins, flat, laminal link elements, perforated at each end, connecting them and in direct contact therewith, each such link element having struck out at one end an annular reinforcement surrounding the perforation, and concentric therewith, the reinforced ends of the link elements penetrated by each pin alternating with the unreinforced ends of the adjacent link elements.

5. A chain comprising a plurality of transverse bearing pins, link elements connecting them, each such link element being reinforced at one end, the reinforced ends of the link elements penetrated by each pin alternating with the unreinforced ends of the adjacent link elements, the reinforced end of each such element being rotatable about the pin penetrating it, and the unreinforced end being held against rotation about the pin penetrating it.

6. A chain comprising a plurality of transverse bearing pins, link elements connecting the pins, each suoli link element being reinforced at one end, the reinforced ends of the link elements penetrated by each pin alternating with the unreinforced ends of the adjacent link elements, each such element comprising a pair of link units, each having a reinforcing flange projecting from one surface thereof.

7. A chain comprising a plurality of transverse bearing pins, link elementsV connecting them, each such link element being reinforced at one end, the reinforced ends of the link elements penetrated by each pin alternating with the unreinforced ends of the adjacent link elements, the reinforced end of such element being rotatable about the pin penetrating it, and the unreinforced end ben ing held against rotation about the pin pene- 8. A chain link element comprising aflat link body, a toot-lr at each end thereof, an intermediate, relatively narrow connecting portion, an aperture in each tooth, the aperture in one tooth being circular and that in the other tooth being non-circular, and a oircular reinforcing flange surrounding said circular aperture, the inner surface thereof forming an extension of the cylindrical transverse pins, the pins having arcuate bearbearing surface formed by the Wall of the aperture.

9.2A chain comprising a plurality of link sections, each end of'each such sections being perforated, bearing pins passing through such sections, each section comprising a pair of separate laminas, the pairsof laminae of each link being spaced apart on said bearing links by the endsof the link sections ofthe `adjacent links, the link sections of one Vlink alternating along each pin with the link sec-` tions of theneXt link, the laminae of each link being rotatable about the pin which passes through one'V end lthereof and being i held against rotation about the pin Which passes through the `opposite rend thereof, the ends of each of the laminae which rotate in relation to the pin passing through them being fornied to expose to said pin a bearing surface greater than the normal thickness of theV laminae.

10. In a laniinal chain, a plurality of transverse pins, vthe pins having arcuate bearing surfaces and' noii-arcuate surfaces, the non-arcuate surfaces lying Within the periphery of the'circles indicated by thearcuate surfaces, a plurality of flat laminae, per-r forated at each end, laterally alignedL along the pins, each lamina being in direct Contact With the pins passing through'its ends, the

perforation of yone end of each lamina being circular, the perforation at the other end conforming to the cross section of the pin which passes therethrough, the circular apei ture of each lamina being reenforced.

ll. In a laniiiial chain, a plurality of ing surfaces`and non-arcuate surfaces, the non-arcuate surfaces lying Within the peripherykof the circles indicated by the arcuate surfaces, a plurality of flat laminae, perforated at each vend, laterally aligned along the pins, each lamina being in direct con- "tact With the pins passing through its ends,

the perforation of one end of each lamina i being circular, the perforation at the other .end conforming to theV cross section `of the pin Which passes therethrough, the circular aperture of each lamina being reenforced With an outwardly projecting annular rim the inner surface of which forms an eXtension of the cylindrical bearing surface forined by the Walls of the aperture. n

` Signed at Chicago county of Cook and State of Illinois, this 12th day of yMarch i924.- n Y Y RAYMOND W. DULL. 

